The Campaign Builder's Guild

Welcome, and I would like to present you with the April contest:


For the April contest, and as a way to get a bit of involvement for the next issue of Fantaseum, which will focus on the seas and oceans, it is your duty to create something that lurks as a menace within an ocean.  It can be a great and powerful sea creature, an ancient civilization about to rise, an underwater supervolcano, or anything else you can think of.  Sounds easy, huh?  Well, here's what you need to know...

1 - Some Necessary Includes
Here are a few things that are necessary to include in the contest.  
...1 - The first requirement for this contest is that your creation must come from beneath the sea (or ocean, or really big pond), and must have the potential to create danger for adventurers.
...2 - The creation must have some unique feature relating it to your campaign setting.  We're the Campaign Builders' Guild, not the "Make a bunch of random stuff" Guild, so your creation should have some sort of relation to your personal campaign setting.

2 - Some Guidelines
Though your creation must have a link to your own personal campaign, it cannot be something that you have already devised or created.  Obviously I won't have a way of checking that, so we'll be going on the honor system for this.  Also, there should be at least a small section devoted to explaining how this ocean menace could be fitted into other campaign settings.

3 - The Format of your Entry
This format is not meant to be limiting to your entry, it is simply a guide to make sure you have everything covered.
...1 - The Name of your undersea menace and a description (if applicable).
...2 - The history of your ocean menace.
...3 - The purpose of your ocean menace.
...4 - How your ocean menace relates to your personal campaign setting.
...5 - How your ocean menace can be fitted into other campaign settings.

4 - Necessary Disclaimer Stuff (Below in Spoiler Box):
[spoiler=Disclaimers]
Please read all these rules before entering.  If you enter the contest, it is assumed that you have read and agree with all the rules presented below.  Any entries/contesters found in contrast with these rules will be disqualified from the contest and will be ineligible for any prizes.
0. VERY IMPORTANT All entries must be original content, or if outside material is used, it must be used with the express written permission of the original creator.  Anything that is the Product Identity (PI) of Wizards of the Coast can be used for submission, but will not be allowed to be published in the Guide, should it win.
1. No one under the age of seventeen (17) can enter a contest without the consent of a parent or a Legal Guardian.
2. Rules and guidelines will vary. Some restrictions may apply.
3. All winners will be contacted by e-mail within seven (7) days of the contest ending.
4. To claim your winning prize, simply follow the easy instructions in your e-mail notification.
5. If we do not hear from you within seven (7) days of notification, we'll select an alternate winner.
6. Read all the rules, entry requirements and deadlines of each contest before entering.
7. The Campaign Builders' Guild (the CBG) reserves sole and final judgment as to all matters concerning its contests. All decisions are final.
8. Winners are responsible for all Federal, State and Local taxes, if applicable.
9. Void where prohibited and where all Federal, State and local laws and regulations apply.
10. Prizes cannot be exchanged, substituted or transferred, without the prior written consent of the contest sponsor if applicable or the Campaign Builders' Guild (the CBG).  
11. Odds of winning a prize depends on the number of eligible entries received and are determined by each contest's specific  
 criteria of awarding prizes.  
12. If you are a contest winner you also authorize the Campaign Builders' Guild (the CBG) and its affiliates to use your name and/or screen name for promotion purposes and publicity purposes without compensation, as well as for use in the Campaign Builder's Guide.  
13. These rules are subject to change without notice.  
14. Unless otherwise specified, only members 17 years of age and under as stated in rule number 1 above in the general guidelines, and 18 years of age and older can enter or become eligible to win any of the prizes with respect to any contests or make any submissions of any kind to the Campaign Builders' Guild (the CBG).  
15. The Campaign Builders' Guild (the CBG) is not responsible for error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of your entry.  
16. You agree that the Campaign Builders' Guild (the CBG) and its respective representatives shall have no Liability, in connection with the acceptance and use of prizes awarded, including liability for personal injury and property damage.[/spoiler]

See, that doesn't sound so bad, does it?  No word limit - you can make it half a page, or 5000 words, I'll read them all.   The deadline will be Saturday, April 26, 2008, at 9:00 PM EST.  Voting then begins, and will end at 7:00 PM EST on Wednesday, April 30, 2008.

The top three choices (assuming we have at least that many entries) will be featured in the next issue of Fantaseum: Journal of the Creative Communities Alliance.

Good luck!

-Ish

PS - Please put all chit-chat, talk, funny remarks, discussion, and shenanigans in the Discussion Thread.

[spoiler Koefhonar : The Lost Ones ]The Koefhonar are not known as the lost ones because they are lost, but because they have drifted away from the path of virtue and goodness. When the gods of the world known as Felyaern created the world and races, one god, Koefon made a race after him, the Koefhar, also known as the Koefhonar which means the descendents of Koefon.
         
They were, for a long time, the most devout of the races. However, when the great evil of the Mektunok arose, and brought battle to all the goodly races, the Koefhar were not helped by their god in crusading against Carkenoff's legions with their unmatched zeal. For so long, they had Koefon watching over them and ready to save them when under distress, but not now; now they were abandoned. Koefon gave no spirit to the priests or strength to the warriors. The Koefhonar had nothing now. In the following battles, they were nearly wiped wiped out. Those that survived had to rebuild; this time with no help and fewer workers. When they looked at the other races, they were jealous, for they all had a Rorukarath guiding and protecting them, but where was Koefhon? Nowhere. The Koefhonar left their religion worshiping no gods, and with no morals or conscious. To this day, no one is sure why Koefon disappeared, not even  Rorunay himself. Many believe he was simply too distressed by the loss of so many Koefhar in the fight against Carkenoff due to their commitment and his inability to save them, so he killed himself with grief.
   
A common Koefhonar seems like a human who has adopted fishlike features. Their head looks like a large, pointed 'nose' surrounded by a frill. It folds forward most of the time but when trying to swim quickly it folds backward for hydro-dynamics. The 'nose' is not actually a nose, but a spear like appendage. They also have fins on the side of their arms and legs. Both their hands and feet are webbed. On their back they have a dorsal fin. Each fin is razor-sharp and can be used as a weapon when in combat as can their 'nose'. A koefhonar's eyes are on its frill so it can see nearly 360 degrees using its frill's ability to fold up and unfold. Koefhonar are most usually orange or green in color with some red and yellowish tinges. Koefhonar have gills and lungs, so they can function on both land and water easily.
         
Koefhonar are now filthy, lying, stealing, murdering scumbags and commonly raid surface towns and attack ships. KoefAlthough they can be known to act proper or civil, it is quite rare. Most Koefhonar divide themselves into gangs and commonly get into feuds with other gangs. One well known gang is the Koefterah, or haters of Koefon. The Koefhar gangs act almost like a feudal system with each as a ruling faction.  Sailors are deathly afraid of encountering one of those murderous gangs on the high seas. Sometimes, they will force them to pay a toll to cross the ocean! If they refuse the Koefhar may kill them, hold them for ransom, or starve them until they comply.
   
Koefhonar could easily fit into another campaign setting by taking out the sea elves or sahuagin (the sahuagin would be the easiest), and replacing them. Seeing as they have no god, you do not need to add any god into the pantheon. You could even just make the god an evil god or have them dwell in lakes, so you don't have to get rid of sahuagin or sea elves. The Koefhar would make a great antagonist for an aquatic campaign.  
   
[/spoiler]

 [ooc]hopefully this is good, its my first try at a contest[/ooc]

   
   

Final contest edit - this is not crunchified a la Monster Manual for the setting, but it does have a new soundtrack! (So long as the satellite link between Antarctica and Bremerhaven isn't encountering significant interference. . .) It's not the most exciting audio track, but nothing can come close to it for realism!
  :band: {play soundtrack}

{On playing The Pretender:
For those curious about/interested in creative process, I've included the following preliminary. Having just finished working on the environmental perspective shaping the dwarves of Panisadore, I went back to that same 'environmental immersion' starting point of simply sitting and imagining what it would be like to live in the water, specifically in sensory terms. After about 5 to 10 minutes of this 'meditation exercise' I wrote: imagining myself, now surrounded by water. Fluid, movement, constant pressure ever shifting against flesh, sounds carrying from far away can be felt as well as heard
I continued to contemplate this for another 20 to 30 minutes, next focusing on how that experience would inform my perception/interpretation of my world then added: rise, sink, touching ribbons of warm and cool all is vibration: sound and touch - I think the aquatic peoples are the most likely to understand the flow of magic - sorcery could be as much an instinct as spawning.
I followed that train of thought then for another 20-30 minutes and then began writing:}



The Wahnahleesharah inhabit a fluid world of astounding kaleidoscopic sound and sensation, beauty and wonder. Their consorts travel about the MotherFlow upon her currents, exploring and playing with the harmonies which their mother, their world conveys to them. Coming to be in an aquatic environment they have developed an astoundingly unique perception of their world and their place within it. Observing the conditions and course of gestation and pregnancy, these mammalian people have come to the conclusion that as a race, they too (along with all other sea life) are in an embryonic state of being. They perceive the very tangible world about them as identical to the amniotic waters of pregnancy, differing only as a matter of scale. Just as the multitudes of a fish's spawn grow and change within their clear, embryonic, encapsulating worlds, they believe that they too as a race, are growing and changing in their clear, embryonic and encapsulating world of the MotherFlow. Furthermore, just as an embryo must mature before it can take leave of its placental enclosure, they likewise must develop sufficient maturity to leave their gestational home in the MotherFlow. Therefore they greatly fear death by any other than 'natural causes,' which they instead welcome with great eagerness.

Their Mother(Flow) sings to them constantly, as the waves of sound travel through the ocean to be both heard and felt, but as with their own fetal conditions, they do not yet understand the words of her song and fear that they may not even remember having heard it once they too are finally born. However, unlike when in their own embryonic states, the Wahnahleesharah attempt to sing back to their MotherFlow, or more precisely, sing with her, quite literally harmonizing with their world. They also seek out others who sing and try to learn to understand their songs. However, they display some very distinct music references, and have no tolerance for dissonance. As they travel through the waters of the MotherFlow they seek out pockets of disturbance and attempt to harmonize them once more. Extremely sensitive to vibrational carrier waves of all sorts, they have an inherent grasp of the nature of magic at its most fundamental level. Their songs then are often potent magical castings used to quell disturbances in the water or achieve other affects.

Personality: The Wahnahleesharah have a acute tendency to act upon first impressions. Their sense of value with regard to what they perceive as either harmonic or dissonant is the critical determinate of their reactions to others and events. Consequently they strike others as very abrupt in their demeanor and interactions. Their impressions of others can certainly change, as they recognize that first encounters with others may not necessarily typify the harmonic nature of the one in question. So, like a fish suddenly turning itself in the water, their perceptions and reactions can likewise change in a moment. When they feel that another is in harmony with them they will react very favorably to their presence and actions, whereas should they perceive dissonance they will swiftly make their disturbance known. Such incidents and changes by themselves don't really affect their overall impressions and feelings of like or dislike toward another (they are very disinclined to hold grudges) but the degree of harmony they experience  overall with another will gradually come to determine the degree of friendship or dislike in which they hold the relationship. They recognize further that it may be in fact they who are not in harmony with the other, and are certainly at times willing to change their tune. In cases where this simply isn't possible they are inclined to merely view the other neutrally as someone simply hearing the beat of a different drum and seek other consorts rather than judging them as noisome, at least when short of experiencing outright cacophony.

Physical Description: Long (tall) and very slender and sinuous, Wahnahleesharah are clearly double-jointed, hairless humanoids. Their bald heads display a slight cranial crest from front to back and continuing down the back with a thin protrusion of cartilage and skin running down the entire length of the spine and extending further as a slender tail almost to their ankles. Facial features tend to be long and narrow with the ears lacking auricles, while their distinctively large, slightly slanted eyes remain the same approximate distance apart as with other races. This gives the eyes the  appearance of 'bugging out' slightly to the side.

They have gills lower down the body, appearing in between the bones of the ribcage. With an extremely long (though not visually apparent) larynx which serves as an impervious membrane between the flow of water down the trachea and an equally long, narrow pocket of air they are capable of producing powerful, deeply resonant vocalizations, which they do almost constantly. The larynx runs such great length down into the torso and behind the breastbone to its end that its vibrations are further translated throughout the entire body. The gills, running the entire distance from breastbone to spine in the gaps between the ribs have developed such extreme tactile sensitivity that virtually any vibration in the water around them is distinctly felt.

Hands and feet are long, narrow and clearly webbed out to the second knuckle. Similar to the membranes between the digits, a filmy, translucent spancel  of tissue encircles the body extending outward approximately an inch, running down and outward in two branches from the occiput, along the shoulders and continuing down back of the arms, along the ulnar edge of the forearms and back up the radial forearm edges where it begins to extend greatly. Along the sides and outside edge of the legs this membrane can extend outward quite widely, billowing outward in the water's currents or stretched taut it can be pulled in close to the body, giving the Wahnahleesharah extraordinary physical control and agility in their habitat. Along the inside of the legs the membrane extends outward about an inch as on the outside of the arms. Covered with exceptionally fine cilia and a wide variety of nerve endings in an extremely dense distribution, the membranes serve additionally to detect the most minute variations in water temperature, pressure, motion and sediment, giving the touch of the water across them a great variety of distinct textures.  

Wahnahleesharah appear very androgynous, displaying little in the way of distinguishing sexual characteristics and even though they wear no clothing,  other races have great difficulty determining their sexes. Females show only the slightest swelling of breast tissue and when not engaging in sex the genitals of both sexes are withdrawn and covered by folds of skin.

Coloration when young is very like that of the waters they live in, but as they reach maturity they begin to display a stunning range of brilliant colors`,  highlighting in particular their long dorsal fin and tail which tends to be a bright red  tint with a black edge. A small number of them will retain their juvenile coloration with the shades merely growing deeper and more vibrant. Most people of terrestrial races find the adults to be extraordinarily beautiful.

Relations: Given their personalities, relations with other races when encountered tend to be rather confusing for the other party for a while. First contact can easily go either way depending on the circumstance regardless of the newcomers actual personality, alignment etc.. Nevertheless, the Wahnahleesharah are a very lawful race, though rather neutral regarding good and evil. They really don't even recognize the concepts, viewing all matters in terms of harmony and dissonance`. There is actually a great deal of sensory perception peculiar to their race revolving around wave harmonics providing them with environmental information which is entirely untranslatable to others. However, they will tend to view chaotic influences as dissonant and lawful influences as harmonic. To a lesser degree evil influences are more likely to display dissonant characteristics and good, harmonious.

When encountering others under harmonious circumstances or when among those whom they have come to view as being generally in harmony with them, quite often they will approach very closely in an attempt to harmonize in accompaniment to the other's activities or invite the other to do so with them. Their songs are clearly audible to even non-aquatic races when submerged (and can be heard/felt for miles by their own kind) and when they are within arms reach, the vibrational movement of their bodies can likewise be clearly felt. Happily, this helps other races to comprehend at least a little bit of how their experience and interact with the world around them. While close harmony is an expression and sharing of pleasure and intimacy with others it is not in any fashion a sexual act to them nor even an activity restricted to participation among 'friends with privileges.' Nevertheless, those of other races favored with the opportunity to take part in such a duet or even greater ensemble invariably find the  experience extremely erotic - enough so as to cause them to actually fear the idea of going so far as engaging in sexual concert with their aquatic friend.

Sadly, much of what the Wahnahleesharah say in the fullness of their song is incomprehensible to other races '" those can hear the vocalized words of the song, and even learn to understand and speak the sonic component of their language, but the sensory information conveyed through the tactile component of the song's vibrations is extremely difficult for others to discern much less grasp any rudimentary understanding of the syntax and grammar within it and utterly impossible to answer in kind.

Because they dwell in predominantly uncharted oceanic waters, they have not had significant large-scale or long term contact with surface races besides the maritime Elven and Khurorkh nations. By virtue of the opportunity to observe the extended patterns of Wahnahleesharahn behavioral communication which their extensive life-spans afford them, only the elves have been able to establish any sort of consistent and ongoing practices of cultural exchange with them. Khurorkh relations with them have, of necessity, come to rely on the intervention of Elven interpreters. In one particular aspect of their perceptions of the world and their respective roles/places within it however, both races have come to recognize that they appear to be in perfect unison '" that being their common loathing, expressed in their shared antipathy and violent opposition toward the monstrous and perverted spawn of Gaurashiage. Elves and khurorkh agree that their aquatic neighbors by all appearances evince the same conscious ecological functions and roles with regard to the preservation and protection of their natural environment for which the paired Kith have always held themselves responsible upon dry land. For this reason, the khurorkh when encountering them in the course of their respective marine activities exert great effort to, at the very least, offer no interference to their endeavors. Experienced khororkh navigators and pilots have at times even learned to harmonize the movements of their vessels with the Wahnahleesharahn songs rippling through the waters about them and take advantage of astounding gains in the speed and level course of their voyages, which the Wahnahleesharah for their part appear to appreciate as somehow equally beneficial to their efforts. Legendary voyages which would normally require months of travel are told of having been completed in mere days time through the apparent synergy of effort orchestrated between a vessel's crew and an accompanying Wahnahleesharahn consort.

Territories: Preferring the cooler waters and depths off of the polar shelfs, the principal concerts of the Wahnahleesharah sing in seasonal counterpoint with each other from their settlements along the slopes of the deeper trench-like basins of the ocean floor, roughly between the 30th and 45th parallels of both hemispheres opposite (and half encircling) their respective continental land masses. They have inhabited these two regions since as far back as the Great Concert echoes within their collective memory as the MotherFlow has cooled and warmed, dwindled, sinking and shrinking only to swell and rise again twice among the vast movements of Her perpetual sonata.

Contest Criteria: Further setting specific development of the race is very dependent upon my further developing the oceanic portion of the world. The Wahnahleesharah in Panisadore are essentially the ocean's caretakers and guardians (as the elves and khurorkh are upon the land). There will certainly be a number of other aquatic races, but absolutely no sea-elves. Maybe some aquatic drow and/or illithid, but generally I dislike the common premises of land based races for no practical reason deciding to return to the sea and spontaneously mutate their race on order to do so. . .

The primary 'threat' the Wahnahleesharah present is through misunderstanding. They're extremely difficult to comprehend on first (and many subsequent) contact, much less communicate with. Their social value system is likewise so alien to other races that it requires considerable effort to discern its presence, much less its nature. Well meaning races, or those at least lacking harmful intent, can quite easily inadvertently produce what the Wahnahleesharah perceive as dissonance without having any clue as to having done so or what the nature of the problem is. The cacophony of even a small naval engagement would be heard by them at great distances and they would be likely to simply address the disturbance as a whole without recognizing the conflict as such and simply sink both sides. If they do recognize that there is a battle occurring they could easily separate the combatants by many miles against their will. (Anyone remember the Star Trek: Classic Edition episode which ended in Kirk and a Klingon commander together furiously arguing with an obviously far advanced race about their right to wage war on each other without interference?) Simply not knowing what is likely to set them off poses an extreme hazard. They have an inherent aptitude for sorcery, especially sonic oriented magics, so not surprisingly within their environment their bards are some of the most formidable combat sorcerers in the world. One of median level would be capable of sinking a large vessel alone '" a significant group of them singing in concert could readily do likewise to an entire fleet.

On the more individual level, even favorable interactions can result in accidental death. As stated above, the experience of 'close harmony' with one is for most an overwhelmingly erotic encounter and with a group utterly defies comparison. Since land races can only remained submerged for any length of time through the use of magic, more than one, unable to tear themselves away, have happily drowned  when the duration of their magic was passed. In Panisadore they are the origin of the legends of sirens.

Very little, if anything, would need to be done to incorporate the  Wahnahleesharah into another setting. If a DM has any ocean campaign references they will have a number of specifically aquatic spells to draw upon. They may wish to modify some of the more common spells as well better suit the race and environment, especially bardic and druidic magics. Having little access to (or need for) tool making materials they are primarily a (highly advanced) magic oriented and dependent race '" particularly with regard to combat. Magic, as a 'thing' in and of itself in Panisadore is a ubiquitous, omni-present, tangible, natural, life-giving force. There a variety of ways in which individuals can perceive and shape it (including psionics and ki abilities). The Wahnahleesharah are the only race to physically sense it though, due to their unparalleled tactile sensitivity.

My first contest too. So instead of a mysterious race, you get a mysterious monster, the Stormwyrm:
[spoiler The Stormwyrms]Of all the features of the world, only the ocean does not change. The waves that now thunder against the cliffs are the same waves our ancestors heard when they first came to the sea, and they will still be the same, when we and our children have long vanished from memory, because the ocean itself is without time.
The ocean's husband is the storm. You can see their embrace at the horizon and feel their passion in the lightning that strikes the sea.
The children of storm and sea are the great snakes of the deep. Born of water and lightning, they are fire and water combined. Gifted with the knowledge of their timeless mother and the fury of their father, they are the guardians of great knowledge, as they too see past, present and future.
So, young one, if you want to claim your name, go out on the sea, call the storm and ride the snakes, so you might be granted wisdom through your victory.

Physical Description: The Stormwyrms of the Eastern Sea are the ocean's largest predators. While hatchlings are little longer than two meters, an adult Stormwyrm can be as long as 35 meters and up to 4 meters thick. Its hide is grey or blue, armoured with thick scales and a ridge of long spines runs from head to tail
Their heads are long and reminiscent of a dragon's, tapering towards a narrow underbiting maw filled with up to five rows of triagonal, razor sharp teeth as big as a man's hand. Their eyes, as large as a man's head, are of a clear blue, without iris or pupil.
Stormwyrms swim through a combination of sinouus movements, using their three pairs of flippers for steering or additional propulsion. A Stormwyrm can easily outswim any ship.
The Wyrms mostly hunt sharks and whales, which they paralyze with some kind of sonic attack and then either swallow whole or tear to pieces. The roar of the Stormwyrm is so loud and deep, it easily drowns out every other sound and it stirs a primal fear in humans. There are even accounts of large Stormwyrms shattering ships only with the power of their voice.
There is only one way to kill a Stormwyrm: A harpoon or lance cast through the one soft spot where the jaw meets the throat. This is risky with smaller Wyrms and all but impossible with the large ones.
Psychology: The Stormwyrms are closely tied to the weather, surfacing only during storms. Indeed it is likely that their presence draws the storms towards them. They are fiercely territorial and will often fight each other during said storms. A ship that strays too close to such a combat is most likely doomed. It will be crushed by the fighters or capsized by the waves. The same goes for the mating season in late autumn, which turns the ocean into a boiling cauldron, all but shutting down any seabound travel.
Relations: Sea travel has become rare after the Godefell, so the Wyrms of the deep are a legend to most people. The only ones to live in close proximity to them are the Saltwater Greyskins. To them, the Stormwyrms are the embodiment of storm and sea, fae-born and sacred (the fluff text at the top is one of their teachings central to their culture). The Greyskins have a coming-of-age-ceremony that every boy and girl must go through, if they want to let their hair grow and become a warrior: the youth must find a crew willing to sail into a storm and call the Wyrms. When a wyrm appears, the youth must jump naked on its back and climb to its head. If he succeeds, the wyrm will dive and when the youth doesn't loosen his grip, he will be awarded with a vision, a glimpse of the future. When the youth returns to the ship, he or she is now no longer considered a child and will be named by the elders upon returning to the islands. This only works for the Greyskins. Others who have tried drowend or were devoured by the Wyrms.
On rare occaions, a Wyrm will appear only a hands breadth under the surface and follow a ship. If this happens during the night, the sleeping crewmen will be troubled by strange and ominous dreams.
Dangers:
Wyrmstorm: A wyrmstorm can appear out of nowhere. Its coming is heralded by a sudden drop in the temperature and ghostly green flames appearing on the ship. Next, the sea begins to boil while green flashes of light appear underwater. All the while the clouds begin to thicken and take on a sickly yellow hue. Then the rain begins to fall. Light at first it turns into a deluge within minutes. When the first lightning strikes the sea, the Wyrms will rise from the waters and begin their mating or fighting.
Calling the Wyrms: The Stormwyrms have very sensitive ears and don't like loud noises underwater. Thus a battle or even construction of a dock or lighthouse can anger them and cause an attack. On the other hand, a clever man might use this to his advantage, using the Wyrms to disrupt travel or trade.
Visions: A tired crewman or captain can be visited by unsettling visions due to the presence of a Stormwyrm somewhere under or near his ship. Sometimes these premonitions warn him of an oncoming danger, but other times the touch of an alien mind can drive the man mad or make him loose consciousness.

What the wyrms are to my setting: As the most recent addition, they define the Saltwater Greyskins, to whom the wyrms are a kind of mystic totem animal. The sea and weather closely relates to their lifecycle, and so anyone who sets sail on the eastern sea will get to know something of these creatures. Also as Fae-Born, they possess a great innate power that manifests in the visions they grant, making them a handy if cryptic source of information for me, the DM. Apart from that, a Stormwyrm is a formidable enemy that uses sonic attacks and which has the ability to drive people insane.

Integration into other settings: The stormwyrms can be used as ye olde sea monster if used alone, or as animas, when combined with a tribe of humanoids that worship them like the Greyskins. I know a sea dragon is not really original, but the Wyrms' relationship with the humans gives them a different spin than a generic ship-eating thing. [/spoiler]

I also added this to myy setting wiki. Hope this isn't against the guidelines. :)
cheers,
Scholar

Caillech Bheur, a goddess queen
who rules the isles through winter's hold.

Giants of ice, mammoths and wolves,
these are her children, minions of cold.

Oracles speak of a wolf of the sea,
bound to a spirit, hunting the bold.

Heroes and Kings seeking threat's end,
of unending winter before their song's told.

Menace from the deep: Sea Worg, a unique monster of a Seawolf (large seal-like predator with wolf-like head that hunt in packs hunting for seals) arcanely bound to a powerful Spirit Wolf, granting INT:12, Regeneration and confers lycanthropy with bite to sentient beings. Controls 20 seawolf packs to work as one, attacking seal, roan and humans in the cold northern seas. The spirit binding protects the spirit and host animal from final death unless the binding relic is undone.

Because seals are the primary prey of seawolves, sealwere (roan) have become a delicacy of choice by the seawolves. Both enchanted creatures swim in the same waters.

Isles of Caillech campaign setting:
The Roan and the Sea Worg are integral parts in the war between the Winter Hag and the good peoples who have settled the southern faces of the larger isles.

"Any other" Campaign Setting:
The Sea Worg would be a unique monster - a possessed giant seawolf capable of organizing the small packs into veritable army of seawolves with sentient command and control. Such a threat would occur in colder northern waters of any given campaign setting that has such geography.

While the Roan could be an alternative to mermaids, mermen, merlings and the like.

[spoiler Roan and the Sea Worg]The Roan and the Sea Worg
Two undersea cultures that have coexisted for many thousands of years since early in the Ice Age of this world that ended two centuries ago, in a constant struggle of prey and predator - are the Roan and the Seawolves.

The ROAN (Caillech:Monsters:Roan) are a subspecie of selkie - a humanoid-seal shapechanger of the northern seas. Usually living in small family groups the Roan are a peaceful fey being, only rarely seen by humans. Unlike selkies, when in Seal form, Roan can not be distinguished from normal Grey Seals, which they use to swim the cold northern seas. In winter Roan migrate to the islands of the northern tip of Cer, and summers are spent in the Seal Island chain lying south and southwest of the main isles of Caillech.

The SEAWOLVES (Caillech:Monsters:Seawolves) are magical beasts resembling a sea lion with a wolf-like head. They attack with claws and bite, and are skilled at tracking scent underwater of prey and blood in the water. Roan are the favorite prey of Seawolves, only slightly more than their taste of human flesh.

The Seawolves have risen from an agressive predator to a true menace in recent years. It is believed that the CAILLECH BHEUR (Caillech:Mythos:Caillech_Bheur) summoned a WORG SPIRIT to inhabit the most powerful alpha male of the Seawolf packs south of the islands. Now of great size, strength and power a SEA WORG leads the pack of the Seawolves and making them a truly formidable force with greater intelligence under diabolical control.

The Roan have sought protection in numbers and now reside around the ISLE OF ROAN, one of the Isles of the SEAL ISLANDS CHAIN of the Caillech archipelago. There is even a village on the isle inhabited by humanoid form Roan, as the Seawolves have poor movement on land.
[/spoiler]

Sentient race of sea and island dwellers, and primary prey of the Seawolves/Sea Worg:
[spoiler Roan]ROAN
Medium-Size Shapechanger Hit Dice: 3D8+3 (16 hp) Initiative: +7 (Dex, Improved Initiative) Speed: 30 ft, swim 90 ft AC: 18 (+3 Dex, +5 Natural) Attacks: Bite +5 melee; or longword +3 melee Damage: Bite 1d6+1; or longsword 1D8+1 Face/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft/5 ft Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities Special Qualities: Alternate form Saves: Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +4 Abilities: Str 12, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 13, Wis 12, Chr 14 Skills: Disguise +6, Hide +7, Listen +5, Move Silently +7, Spot +5, Swim +5, Wilderness Lore +5 Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse (bite)

Climate/Terrain: Cold Aquatic Organization: Solitary or Tribe (12 - 30 plus 1 leader) Challenge Rating: 2 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Usually neutral good Advancement: By character class

Roan are creatures that resemble Grey Seals, who have the ability to adopt a humanoid form. In their true form, they look exactly like Grey Seals. Though not a lycanthrope, Roan are sometimes called "sealwere". In their humanoid form, they resemble normal humans, on closer inspection, however, one can see they have webbed hands and feet. When transforming to humanoid form, their "seal skins" come off like a garment and is hidden when ashore. If they lose their "seal skins" they remain stuck in humanoid form. Unlucky Roan women have been coerced into marriage with human males who secretly stole and hid away the "seal skins". If a roan finds their skin, they will don it and escape to the sea immediately.

Seal skins donned by humans do not gain the shapechange ability of roan.

COMBAT Roan can not carry weapons or otherwise "wear" sheathed weapons in seal form as this greatly hinders their swimming capability, which they depend. They bite when cornered, but prefer to swim away when opponents are too powerful. On land, roan carry weapons that they have scavenged from shipwrecks or trade with some of the more friendly local humans near their communities. Alternate Form (Ex): Once per month, a roan can transform into the form of a humanoid, usually human, and can take this form as long as one week. Except for their webbed hands and feet, Roan are very attractive in this form and tends to garner attention from the locals, especially of their women. Their human eyes are always a shiny emerald green in color. This transformation is non-magical and cannot be dispelled, but true seeing spells will reveal a roan's true form. Spell-like Abilities: once per day, once per round - augury, cure light wounds, and cure disease. Once per week - weather summoning and control weather. Venerable leaders of the roan gain these powers as they age, as roan are not born with them. They do not use these powers for ill, lest the sea take vengeance upon them for it.

SOCIETY Culturally Roan are hunter/farmers of the sea relying on seaweed beds and filtering of the cold plankton currents for most of their food, though they supplement with fish, crab and krill.

Females account for 2/3 of the population, serving in a domestic capacity, while the males hunt and work the seaweed farms. The sexes are equally respected within the lair and the community. Roan prefer colder waters, and lair in large underwater caverns and grottos with air pockets or safe access to the surface. They often build their lairs near rocky islets and uninhabited small islands. Weapons, treasure and magic items are recovered from shipwrecks they explore.


SOCIETY ON CAILLECH Roan of Isles of Caillech dwell in the southwestern island chain south of the greater isles of Caillech, know as the Seal Islands. Though they have been known to frequent the shores of many of the rocky islets, since the rise of the Sea Worg, they have sought refuge on one of the greater isles of the Seal chain, called the Isle of Roan. With many sea caves, tunnels that open through defenseable tunnel exits and a great central subterrainean chamber at the center of the isle with access to the surface from below, this is the current home of all the Roan of Caillech. (population: 600)

A surface village called "Roan" with fitted-stone roundhouses and conical stone rooves circle the pinnacle or rock spearing from the center of the isle. They disguise themselves as primitive fisherman who were lost in a storm and have since resided here. Small boats (never used) on the shore of the isle helps maintain their deception.

If the situation with the Sea Worg becomes too encroaching, the villagers may try to contact the humans who have recently settled on the Isles of Caillech.

The Isle of Roan, in the southwestern island chain below the main Isles of Caillech is home to a large colony, having gathered for safety in numbers for the increased Seawolf threat - their natural enemy.

Roan have been adapted from the Selkie first appearing in Monster Manual II (1983)
[/spoiler]

The predators under the control of the Sea Worg
[spoiler Seawolves]Seawolves
Size/Type: Large Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 6D8+12, Initiative +1, Speed 10'/swim 40', AC 18 (-1 size, +1 dex, +8 natural), Base Attack/Grapple +6 melee/+14, Attack: Bite 1D8+2, Space/Reach 10'/5', Special Qualities: Darkvision 60', hold breath, low light vision, scent, Saves: Fort +8 Ref +6 Will +5, Str:16 Dex:12 Con:16 Int:2 Wis: 14 Chr: 10, Skills: Spot +10, Swim +12, Track(B) underwater +8, Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will, Environment: Cold Aquatic, Organization: lonewolf, pair, 12 pack, CR:3, Alignment: Neutral (with Evil tendancies), 6-8 HD for Large, 9-16 Huge

A typical seawolf is 10 feet long and weighing at 700 pounds. Although they resemble large and sleek seals, their heads are fully lupine in appearance. Seawolves incessantly hunt in highly organized packs where each member performs a specific task in the hunt - scout, distraction, frontal assault, flanking from sides top and bottom as well as rear encirclement. Though they have no claw attacks, they have been known to "body slam" against an opponent if another member of pack already has a bite, more of a grapple attack. A seawolf can hold its breath for 6 x CON to avoid drowning.

Seawolves have excellent tracking skills underwater, they can detect the passing of prey when in vicinity or detect blood in the water up to 1000 feet away.

Retrieved from "http://www.thecbg.org/wiki/index.php?title=Caillech:Monsters:Seawolves"
[/spoiler]

How the Sea Worg came to be...
[spoiler Mythos & Spirits]World Creation Mythos and the Spirits
The creation mythos among the northern peoples of the known world state the when the world came to be it was a place of ice and fire. It is believed a rock moon of ice crashed onto the world and ended the age of the Dragons and set the world on the course to the Ice Ages. Even before time began the world was already populated by the beasts and the trees, but spirits of power controlled the world. It is believed that there are dozens, even hundreds of such spirits of power of varying degrees of power.

With worship by sentient beings - any spirit will transform and both earn and bestow additional powers commensurate with the number of adherents. Thus spells can be granted only with worshippers available in sufficient number.

Greater Spirits are nine in total: the four elements, the four seasons and time. The CAILLECH BHEUR (Caillech:Mythos:Caillech_Bheur) is the Greater Spirit of Winter and the first goddess, (the only Greater Spirit currently with god-status as she has been worshipped by giants and ogres for almost 100,000 years.)

Lesser Spirits are many, each intrinsically linked with a general type of plant or beast. Lesser Spirits include: Worg Spirit, Horned Spirit, Feline Spirit, Tree Spirit, Flower Spirit...

Least Spirit are the most common and are intrinsically linked to a specific geographic location, such as a vale, waterfall, mountain, stream, etc. Strange though Least Spirits are the least powerful, they are the most often to attain god-status, as they are often worshipped by locals and gain the great powers only gods can partake.

Both gods and greater spirits have the power to summon spirits of lesser power and coerce them to perform tasks for them, though never on a permanent basis - they are spirits of power afterall. Binding consists of tying a bundle containing a rock, material from being to be bound (hair, nails, skin), and an item sacred to Spirit being bound.

Retrieved from "http://www.thecbg.org/wiki/index.php?title=Caillech:Mythos"
[/spoiler]

Who created the Sea Worg...
[spoiler Caillech Bheur]Caillech Bheur (Kal-yek Var)
She is the GREATER SPIRIT (Caillech:Mythos) of Winter, known as the Winter Hag, she is the first goddess of the world as she is still worshipped by the giants and ogres of her domain and have for 100,000 years. During the Ice Age (which ended 246 years ago) she was the Goddess/Queen of the frozen north. With the receding glaciers at Ice Age end, so went much of her power.

Thus her prime objective is to bring a return of the Ice Age. Because the Greater Spirits of the Seasons has an emnity with those of the Elements, the Caillech Bheur is counting on this to help return her Ice Age. She intends to provoke the Greater Spirit of Fire who resides beneath the three volcanoes of the northeast with an insult and challenge of spiritual war. If her plan prevails, the Fire Spirit will cause ash and smoke to cover the northern hemisphere and block the sun's rays long enough for the glaciers to accelerate even beyond where they once had been.

It has become known to her that the human occupation of the southern Isles of Caillech is a serious threat to her agenda. She cannot initiate her plan to return the Ice Age until the humans have been repulsed from the islands. To do this she mustered a great host of giants, and mastadon-riding ogres in a sweep of the south islands, when the seas are frozen during the coldest winters. She has called two great wars during the past 246 years - requiring the coldest winter of each century, so the southerly isles are completely encased in ice and her army can reach and destroy them.

Fey beings such as the ROAN (Caillech:Monsters:Roan) stand in the way of the Winter Hag, and as the humans must go.
[/spoiler]

The image is the riddle portion of my map for the CG challenge



 [img:width-500&height=481]http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/caillech-skin.jpg[/img]

 http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/caillech-skin.jpg

More to come...

Less than a week folks, hope to see a few more entries!

Voila! The Gnomish Ship-Breaker!
Edit from Ishmayl: I went ahead and put the text here, it will be much easier for people to read this way.

Gnomish Ship-Breaker

    All was quiet on the ocean, save for the soft wind that propelled the Angelfin ever onwards in the hot sun, and the creak of the boards as the galleon is softly tossed by small crests. No birds, the first lieutenant thought, frowning. It was much too quiet. As he looked to the water, he saw a vast shadow flit by, hidden by waves. He leaned over the side, just a little, and as the shadow grew larger so did his eyes. He turned to shout warning to the crew, but a ship this size would never turn out of the way in time. When the metal behemoth broke the surface, it rose a short distance into the air and came crashing down, gravity doing all the work, as the gnomes who gripped the side cackled with glee. Moments later, there was silence once more, save for the soft wind, and the dull thunks of shattered boards knocked together by the small waves.

    The gnomes retreated under the seas perhaps a thousand years ago to protect the secrets of the ancient wizards. Their masteries of mechanical magics suited them perfectly to the task. Over the centuries, the gnomes began to evolve to suit their new environment, and are now perfectly amphibious. Some two or three hundred years ago, when the humans began to explore the seas once more, the gnomes were desperate for a way to encourage human ships to stay away from certain areas, namely those areas in which there were ancient laboratories.

    The gnomes recognized fairly quickly that what they needed was a way to inspire fear in the humans, of the "here there be dragons" sort. Lampkin, the great inventor of the day, decided on a gigantic fish, which gnomes could ride to harass or destroy ships that came too close to the protected waters. Lampkin left the outside of the great fish rough and unfinished on purpose, that it might provide a greater scare to the humans.

    You must imagine a whale-sized hunk of metal, clanking and heaving, rising from the water and jumping, intending to land on your ship. It weighs tons, has rough and sharp edges, and furthermore, gnomes with their own weapons and spells cling to the side, ready to cut you down. Quite an intimidating sight for any captain. At first, the gnomes would just buzz ships, coming near to them without destroying them, so as to allow the ship to return to port and tell of the great disturbing creature.

    The ship-breaker's greatest asset, its size, is also its greatest weakness. While its powerful fins allow it move relatively quickly under the water, when it is in the air, its course is essentially set. A galleon does not steer well on short notice, as mentioned above, but a smaller ship might be able to change course and avoid being crushed. Adventurers might save themselves by diving off the boat before the metal behemoth lands on it. Its last weakness is that, being a gnomish machine, it is animated by magic. One of the gnomes on its back is moving the ship-breaker himself, and if that gnome were to be killed, it would cease moving. Small comforts, but this frightening monster is not invincible.

    This creature fits into my setting in the ways mentioned above. My gnomes really did retreat to the seas and become aquatic creatures, and they really did intend to protect the secrets of the ancient wizards. This creature might be modified to fit another setting by changing the creatures who operate it to whatever aquatic species you like. In a pinch, the metal whale could be replaced by a live one, but it would lose some of its ambiance in the process. Anywhere you have water, and large fish, metal or real, you have the option to haul out the ship-breaker.

The Iid-horrors of the Cantari Void

 [ic=Oppza Ikret, Siciian Fishing Captain]'˜Blast! Aryn, if you weren't my niece, you'd have been food for Iid by now.'[/ic]

Among navies and private fishing companies, tales of misadventures along the troubled equator abound. Besides the Maelstrom of the Saints or the foreboding Acw Peaks, one of the most common topics is of the Cantari Void.

The Cantari Void is a band, centered along the equator, which stretches for nearly five hundred miles. It is known for its thick and unstable magics, and is almost never traversed on purpose. One of the most feared things about the Cantari Void is the terrifying creatures that lurk within, and they are known to venture out a hundred miles or more.

They are known as the Iid-horrors, named for the biggest specimen observed yet. Iid itself is a six-legged monstrosity, composed of dozens of ancient and rusting battleships melding into tough, scarred scales. It is named after the ship that makes up the forward half of its head, which was recognized as the ancient flagship '˜Iid', only because the markings have mysteriously remained intact after more than 10,000 years.

There are an innumerable number of smaller creatures, a majority of which are theorized to be no bigger than 10 feet in height, and echo Iid's magical fusion of animal and metal. These smaller creatures are composed of the many parts of the ancient battleships, aircraft and weapons platforms, and right down to the seating arrangements of eating halls on board the larger ships.

Reports by ship crews show that the creatures are uniformly short-tempered, and vicious when fighting in defense, or over food. They typically fight each other for the fish and other sea creatures that wander into the Void, and a good many will eat other Horrors. Some have become accustomed to consuming metal, and most ships traveling nearby are tantalizing targets.

Pirate bands are rife throughout Ifpherion, and the area south of the Cantari Void is no exception. A few enterprising bands from the nearest nations have begun to try to exploit the Iid-horrors, especially the bigger ones, or the specimens whose weapons have not yet rusted away. However, due to the natural magical instability and short temper of the creatures, all they have succeeded in doing is expanding the range of the Iid-horrors.

History

More than 10,000 years ago, Ifpherion was embroiled in a global war, in which steel and chemicals were pitted against magic, fragile idealism against draconian authoritative regimes. This war, now called the '˜Great Descension', lasted for nearly three centuries, and produced a lot of physical and magical instability in several regions, one of which as the equatorial belt, where a majority of the battles took place. It is the detritus of this war that makes up the food and components of most of the Iid-horrors.

Over time, most of the turbulence has calmed along the equator, except for a region known as the Cantari Void. It has been a place to avoid for nearly six millennia, when most of the equator opened up. Right from the beginning, there were observations of '˜terrible creatures made of the nightmares of eons past', or so the historical logs mention.

Adaptations

While Ifpherion has an advanced state of technology, the Iid-horrors can be adapted to lower levels of tech. For example, they may haunt an old and/or busy port, inhabiting and fusing with the sunken ships and smaller items; old and rusted timepieces would make perfect bodies for clockwork horror-inspired Iid-horrors.

The Iid-horrors are also not limited to metal or other advanced materials. Due to the unstable magics in the area, they could feed on and fuse with wood just as well.

Meta-Relation to It's Parent Setting

Ifpherion is a very advanced and metropolitan world, where settlements are growing even on other planets. I'm putting this in the setting to show players and readers that there are still places of untamed wildness and danger, right on the surface of the planet.

[ic= Deegon Mikklewaithe, gnome mariner ] 'Blackwater? Oh aye, it's valuable. One '˜o' the most precious things here'bouts. Cost ya a damn arm an a leg. Hell, near as cost me mine. If you aint watchin fer it, them damn patches'll sneak up on you and afore you know it you in the middle of it. And don't listen to what most say. T'aint just flame'll spark it off. Too much movin, hit it wit yer oar too hard, hell I've even seen the damn sea burst into flame in places just a'cause it were too damn hot all day. Trust me, you don't wanna go near it. Blackwater gatherin is a damnfool occupation an I wish someone woulda tol' me at yer age. But I always got greedy. A few good hauls '˜o' black and yer set for years.' [/ic]

[ic=Blackwater] Blackwater is the lifeblood of the recent technological advances in Eltabbar. All the Warforged and foundries run on it and it is used in the researches of everything from the zeppelins of the Royal Aeronaut Corps to the great harvester golems used in the prairie provinces down south.

For a long time miners and subterranean dwellers have been aware of both the benefits and dangers of blackstone, the extremely dense porous black rocks found deep in many mines and caverns. The rocks, when exposed to air release a colorless but noxious gas that is highly unstable and explosive when exposed to flame or even sparks created by a miner's pick.

Blackwater is a product of water that has had blackstone immerged in it for prolonged periods. Though it can artificially created by mining raw blackstone and then immersing it in a container of water, this is a time consuming process with a small yield of blackwater. So, to sustain the needs of their industry Eltabbarians pay handsomely for sailors to travel to the great blackwater patches floating in the sea out past the mouth of the bay. These patches vary from only a few hundred feet to the largest that often spread a few miles in each direction. They are formed by fissures filled with blackstone deposits that were exposed to the ocean by earthquakes caused by the titanic magical forces unleashed during the Demongate Wars.

Blackwater is an extremely volatile fluid that catches alight easily and burns extremely hot and brightly. This makes it very useful in foundries for it's heat makes it possible to easily work nearly any metal and the blackwater forges of Eltabbar are the source of the adamantine blades that are the signature weapons of the Gray Guard. It's most valuable trait, however, is the large amounts of gas that it produces as it burns. This gas's creation is essential to the operation of the warforged along with many other inventions such as the zeppelins.

Out in the oceans, the great blackwater patches are places of astounding value and danger. Due to it's volatile nature, if a patch is set alight or disturbed too roughly, then huge miles long swathes of ocean can burst into towering pillars of flame until all the nearby blackwater is used up. The can be caused by an errant drop from a lantern or even simply from the slap of a rower being careless with his oar. There are even days on record during great heat waves in the summers when massive patches have even burst into flame due solely to the heat.[/ic]

[ooc]If used in other settings, blackwater can easily become simply an oceanic hazard if there is no industry yet to use it. It could even be a partially mystical substance used in magical research easily enough. [/ooc]